Dress Code on Virgin Voyages

[Maxximum23]

We have cruised in the past with Celebrity, MSC and Royal Caribbean.  Next month we are going on a cruise with Virgin Voyages.

 

From members experience, do people actually get dressed up for evening meal? Reading about the ship it seems to be dress in whatever, my partner likes to dress up for evening meal but feels put off with the information that Virgin send out, it gives the impression that we are going on an 18-30 holiday and everything seems to be over indulgent. From Scarlet Nights to Drag Queen Bingo.

 

From experience what is it actually like? Unless you dine in one of the specialty restaurants it seems that you can wear shorts, flip flops etc as long as it is not total nudity!

 

The average age group seems to be very young cruisers, we are in our sixties and enjoy a good time but Virgin seem to be dumbing down the dress code.

 

Would be interested to hear from others who have sailed with Virgin and see if they would return again.

[CineGraphic]

Forget everything you are used to on other lines, and simply enjoy being yourselves, whether that means getting all dressed up, or just chilling in shorts and a tee-shirt. You do you.

Enjoy your cruise!

[jon81uk]

Depends on what you mean by dressed up, I think a majority made an effort to look nice for dinner, very few people appeared scruffy or had sports jerseys or similar. 

[Maxximum23]

Would you travel with Virgin again? 

 

[jon81uk]

21 minutes ago, Maxximum23 said:

Would you travel with Virgin again? 

 

I’ve done six voyages with three more currently booked. Never sailed on a cruise before our first trip with VV and I’m not likely to try another line easily.

 

 

Edited January 10 by jon81uk

[neverendingcruising]

They didn’t dumb it down, it’s just not there. There are no speciality restaurants, just restaurants. If you want to wear flip flops and shorts with a tshirt to a steak dinner at the Wake or atuxedo to the Korean BBQ nobody is going to bat an eye. I think that’s the best part, you dress where you want to be and then nobody can judge anyone for it. 

[CineGraphic]

2 hours ago, Maxximum23 said:

Would you travel with Virgin again? 

 

 

We've sailed with Virgin 4 times in the past year, and have 3 more booked. Princess has offered us deals as low as $50 per cabin for 14 day sailings, and we didn't consider them for a second.

Besides no real dress codes, there's also no announcements, no art auctions, no photographers, no added gratuities on drinks, etc......the vibe on board is of acceptance, not exclusivity, (except for Richard's Roof Top which is for suites only)

[cantgetin]

Beyond no swimsuits, something on your feet, and a level of covered enough to be socially decent, there is no dress code.  There is no formal night, no specialty restaurants.  There is no "premier restaurant" (as some people try to say there is).  True, there is different food in each and some are more elegant than others.  BUT you will not be turned away in jeans and a t shirt or in a ballgown and tux...or anything in between.

 

As above, most people make some level of effort to dress up for dinner;  For me, that consists of dressy black pants and a nice top most of the time....kind of an outfit that I could wear anywhere. On my first VV cruise, I brought a dress and never wore it.  Most guys wear something like dockers and a polo shirt....but some wear a jacket and tie.  Seriously, whatever works for you.

 

Would I cruise VV again?  I got off my first VV cruise with 3 more booked.

[CruisingWalter]

As others have noted, no dress code, come as you are. In the evenings you'll find folks dressed to the 9s while some are shorts and t-shirts.  It's not 'dumbing down' the dress code, it's 'you're an adult, come as you feel comfortable.' 

 

We've sailed VV 4 times and they are a good product, but I would never limit myself to VV or any other single cruise line. Too many amazing ships and experiences out there. For the Holidays this year we were on a 650 passenger ship, also nearly all inclusive, and the food game was incredible. We'll soon be heading out on the world's largest cruise ship and I know we're going to have an absolute blast.

 

Basically if the itinerary matches what you are looking for and the ship meets your needs, then you sail them. VV checks a lot of great boxes, but not all. Our Scarlet Lady experience this past week was not the same experience we got last year. It wasn't a bad experience but there were noticeable shifts in the crew, service and food quality. VV has a lot to live up to and as the cruise fares increase, so will the scrutiny on the product.

 

All in all, you should have an awesome time. 

 

 

[Maxximum23]

Great news, it sounds like we are in for a great cruise

[kaysha2004]

I'll be on my 8th cruise with VV in two weeks, with a total of 5 this year.  What drew me in was the adults only concept.  Everything else is icing on the cake.  I have Elite Plus on Celebrity and I will not reach Zenith in my lifetime, so Virgin is the way I'm going, at least for now. But if the prices keep going up, they may not be getting as many of my cruise dollars, especially as a solo traveler.

 

I would say smart casual at dinner and you'll be fine, but be comfortable.  Personally, I wouldn't wear shorts and a t-shirt to dinner at one of the six restaurants that require reservations.  But, in the pizza place, no problem.  It's totally casual.  Scarlet Night would be the equivalent of evening chic night on Celebrity, with the emphasis being on having red in your outfit.  It could be a splashed accent of red or a completely red outfit.  Whatever pleases you.  The entire ship turns red, literally, on Scarlet Night, and it's fun.

 

In addition to other comments, there's also no cruise director.  All the info you need is on the app, and you just arrive to a show, take a seat, and the show starts.  No introductions or a rundown of the next day's activities or ports of call.  You'll also not get a daily paper schedule in your room, but they are available for pickup at Sailor Services on deck 5 and at both coffee shops.

 

Since VV doesn't use single-use plastic, you'll need to bring your own water bottle.  There's plenty of fill stations around the ship, and you'll need it when you leave the boat to go ashore.

 

Enjoy and have fun!

[LimitedView]

People typically dress up in the evenings, with dressing up being up for interpretation. As for age, while there was a distinct group of people in their 30s, I'd put the average as 50s or 60s so definitely not the 'young' cruise line that some people might think it is.

[cantgetin]

On 1/18/2024 at 5:15 AM, LimitedView said:

People typically dress up in the evenings, with dressing up being up for interpretation. As for age, while there was a distinct group of people in their 30s, I'd put the average as 50s or 60s so definitely not the 'young' cruise line that some people might think it is.

The longer the cruise, the older the group...but this is a generality.  As people are becoming morea able to work on board, this may be changing as the internet was not good in the Med in 2022.  Short cruises tend to attract a younger crowd.  That said, VV released a chart showing the average in 2022 was 43 with a range of 18-90s.  I've seen similar numbers for 2023, but as they were from a TA rather than VV, I can't attest to the accuracy.